Turning Point
by DrawnToDarkness
Summary: Post-episode for 1x11. The aftermath of the mission brings about a turning point in certain relationships aboard the Bus. Hints of MaySon (Philinda?) and SkyeWard.


_Post-ep for 1x11 so spoilers, spoilers, spoilers! Turn back now if you've not seen it and don't want to be spoiled!_

_AN: Inspired in part by the expression on May's face after Coulson told the team to get back to work at the end of the episode (I could've sworn she was about to cry!) and by my own need to see a little extra between certain characters._

* * *

Coulson's abduction and subsequent rescue was something of a turning point as far as relationships on the SHIELD Bus were concerned. Having held it together, admirably so, for the duration of his absence, it was his first night back that Melinda May finally let the mask she'd held in place for so long begin to crack.

Since they weren't due to depart until the early hours of the morning, she left the cockpit and joined the others in the lounge, waiting for their newly returned leader to put in an appearance. She knew he'd left the Bus as he'd had 'something to take care of' before they left but every minute he was away put her more and more on edge.

What if he'd been taken again and they didn't know?

What if he was hurt, some internal injury having gone undetected during his medical?

What if…?

May knew she wasn't alone in her worries; while FitzSimmons eventually retired to their bunks, exhausted after their most stressful seventy two hours since joining the field team, Skye stayed put on one of the couches, laptop all but ignored on the coffee table in front of her as she chewed on a fingernail and kept staring at the top of the staircase as if she could conjure Coulson by sheer force of will.

Ward, May noted with what would have been amusement if she wasn't so worried herself, hadn't strayed far from the young woman's side since she'd returned to the plane, almost as if he was afraid she was going to disappear again.

"He'll be okay, right?" Skye asked after twenty minutes of awkward silence after the two scientists had gone to bed. FitzSimmons had managed to keep up a steady stream of conversation while they'd been around and it was only after they'd gone that May realised she missed it. Looking towards the younger woman, May caught her gaze and saw the concern Skye was making no attempt at hiding. "You don't think he's –"

"He'll be fine," it was Ward who answered, his tone confident and reassuring. "He said he might be a while."

"But where did he go?" Skye wondered aloud. When no one answered, she got up and began to pace the width of the small room. "He shouldn't be on his own. Not after what he's been through. What if something's happened to him or he's been in an accident or –"

"Skye." May pushed herself up from the stool she'd been sitting on and put herself in Skye's way. "He knows what he's doing." Her voice was softer than it might have been under usual circumstances but then the memory of seeing Skye crying over Coulson's beaten form were still fresh in her mind. She didn't think she would forget seeing the young hacker beg Coulson to come back in a hurry, just as she was absolutely certain she would never be able to not hear her team leader and friend beg a silent entity to let him die. It was a moment she and Skye had both witnessed, one they hadn't, and wouldn't, share with the other members of the team. "If he's not back in half an hour, we'll go and look for him."

"You promise?" There was a little flash of wariness in Skye's gaze that May couldn't fault her for; although it was now obviously what had motivated the senior agent to get Skye off the plane, the betrayal on Skye's face when May had told Hand she wasn't needed aboard was something else May didn't think she'd forget for a while to come. "Because if something happens to him –"

"It won't." She'd make sure if it. "Why don't you try and get some sleep?"

"I can't." Skye wrapped her arms around her middle, her expression stubborn while her eyes showed her exhaustion. "Not until I know he's okay." She was silent for a moment, the squared her shoulders and dropped her arms. "I'll go work out for a bit. That should help."

"You're already exhausted," May pointed out, glancing over Skye's shoulder in time to see the flash of concern on Ward's face. "When was the last time you slept?"

"When was the last time you did?" Skye countered instantly, eyebrow quirked in challenge. "I can take care of myself, Agent May. I've had plenty of practice."

There was an edge in her voice, a bitterness that was unmistakable. May caught Skye's arm as the hacker started to move past her, her grip firm but not bruising. "About what happened yesterday with Agent Hand –"

The wariness was back in an instant. The tension in the room rocketed and even Skye's attempt at levity did nothing to ease it. "Wow, was that only yesterday?"

"You know what I was doing, don't you?" It was important to May that she did. She knew FitzSimmons hadn't yet grasped the reason behind her seemingly allowing Hand to kick Skye off the plane and while she'd explained herself to Ward, it still stung a little that her fellow teammates automatically assumed the worst of her. "You couldn't have done what you did aboard the Bus."

"I know." Skye attempted a smile, but the hurt still lingered in her eyes. "The end justified the means. That's what's important."

Knowing that Skye understood only allowed her a modicum of relief; there was still a matter of trust between them that May knew needed to be resolved but she let her hand drop from Skye's arm, telling herself she would have to be content with the understanding they'd reached for now.

She watched Skye leave the room and sensed Ward stand before she turned to look at him, unsurprised to see his gaze had strayed in the direction their resident hacker had went. "It's over."

Her words stopped him from following Skye, and he looked confused for a moment before understanding dawned in his eyes. With the slight inclination of his head and what she thought might be a glimmer of relief in his eyes, Ward signalled his silent agreement before following his rookie down to the cargo bay.

Once she was alone, May let her shoulders slump and lifted a hand to rub her brow. Two bridges crossed, one to go. She retook her seat at the bar and closed her hand around her untouched scotch, staring into it as the waiting game began anew.

* * *

"May's right about one thing." Ward's voice behind her didn't surprise her, even though he'd been soundless as usual when he'd followed her down the stairs. "You really should get some rest."

Skye shook her head, her attention focused on the wrapping she was trying to tie around her hands instead of on her SO. "I wouldn't be able to sleep." She glanced up when he stopped beside her, a little closer than she'd been expecting. She swallowed reflectively and tilted her head back so she could hold his gaze. "There's nothing stopping you, though. You're the one who fought a super soldier today. Don't you need to recharge your batteries?"

"I'm fine." He didn't look fine; he looked exhausted and almost on edge, a glint of something she couldn't decipher in his hazel eyes as he started at her intently. After holding her gaze for a long moment in silence, his eyes dropped to her hands and he reached out to take the wrapping off her. "Let me do that. If it's not done right, you'll hurt yourself."

She nodded rather than arguing with him that she knew what she was doing. She'd meant it when she told May she was capable of taking care of herself but, she had to admit, it was kind of nice when there was someone else around to do it.

Her time away from the team, however brief, had brought home to her how much she'd come to care about them all.

Coulson was like the father she'd never had and she didn't think she'd be able to sleep with the image of him begging to die still so fresh in her mind.

Fitz and Simmons, especially Simmons, were good friends, almost siblings, and the thought of never seeing them again was one she had hated.

May… May was a bit of an enigma to her, and she thought at times the senior agent hated her but then they'd have a moment of understanding and she'd feel a flash of warmth from the older woman and while May confused her to no end, she'd become someone Skye thought she could be closer to, one day.

As for Ward… Skye bit her lip but was unable to stop the sigh that escaped her. She watched Ward's hands falter for a second before he continued diligently, obviously waiting for her to speak. Ward confused her almost as much as May did. She knew it was her fault he'd turned cold towards her after Hong Kong but things had been improving, slowly, but that before the Berserker staff incident, before he'd started pulling away again. Before he'd started sleeping with May, but then she wasn't sure she was supposed to know that.

But then he'd defended her when Agent Hand had wanted her off the Bus, had stood guard while she'd packed her things, glaring any time one of Hand's men ventured too close to her bunk or suggested they take over escorting her off the plane. And he'd helped her escape debriefing, trusted her to be able to do what was necessary to get Coulson back, had told her…

He'd told her…

"Did you mean it?" The question slipped out unbidden and caused his hands to stop.

"Mean what?"

Unable to lift her eyes to look at him, Skye stared at their hands instead. "You said you believed me. The last time you said that was before I let you down with Miles. I was just… Did you mean it or were you just saying it because you thought I needed to hear it?"

"I meant it. I still do." He took a half-step closer, something she didn't think was possible given how close they already were. He moved one hand to touch her face, startling her into looking up. His eyes were serious and he moved his hands back to wrap around hers. "You've more than proved yourself, Skye, to me and the rest of the team and to SHIELD."

"Did you really think I could do it?" She didn't know why it was so important to her but it was; she needed to know her SO truly believed in her after everything they'd been through. "When you let me go, did you think I'd be able to find Coulson?"

"I knew you would. I knew if there was a chance for anyone to track him down, it would be you. That's why I argued with Agent Hand, asked May why she'd done it. Makes sense now, and it worked out for the best but I knew you'd be the one to find him, Skye. I never had any doubt."

"You asked May?" Skye tried to smile but found it wouldn't last. "I bet that went down well."

A flicker of something, she suspected guilt, passed over his features. "I should have realised what she was doing but at the time I was as surprised and angry as you were." He shrugged. "It doesn't matter now."

"It does if it's caused a problem between the two of you." She dropped her gaze to their hands again, tugged hers free and moved away, closer to the punching bag. "I'm sorry."

"It's not your fault." Ward followed her, his voice quiet as he stood beside her. "You did nothing wrong."

"This time, maybe. Guess there really is a first time for everything." Her smile was self-depreciating, her eyes humourless. "But seriously, Ward, if I've messed anything up between you and May, I'm sorry. I know… Well, let's just say I know and leave it at that."

"You know…?" His eyes widened with realisation and she might've laughed at the almost comical expression on his face had the situation between different. His cheeks began to darken and he shifted uncomfortably from foot to foot. "That's not… There's nothing… It isn't what you think."

She snorted, unable to stop herself. "Isn't that what they all say? Besides, it's none of my business. What you and May get up to when you're off the clock is –"

"Nothing. It's nothing. It never was and it's over now." It wasn't his words that surprised her so much as the way he reached out for her, taking hold of her hands as he stared at her with an almost imploring look on his face. "It was… Agents do it sometimes. The job gets rough so you find someone who can help you get through it."

"Like a friend with benefits?" Skye suggested when he continued to stare at her, willing her to understand.

Her turn of phrase caused the blush in his cheeks to deepen and his jaw to clench before he nodded reluctantly. "I suppose so. But like I said, it's over."

She bit her lip guiltily, glancing at their hands to see his thumb running over the back of hers in slow circles before looking back up at him. "Because of me? Not… I don't mean that the way it sounded. I meant because you disagreed with her -"

"Because of you," he answered softly, cutting her off mid-sentence. Her breath caught in her throat at the emotion laid bare on his face and in his eyes, with Ward making no attempt at concealing any of it from her.

Skye wasn't sure if he'd moved or if she had or if they'd both closed the gap them but the space between them was non-existent, his hands on her hips as hers came to rest on his chest, feeling his heart as it beat in time with hers. His lips were a hairsbreadth from hers and her eyes were just about to close when the sound of the ramp being lowered caused them to jump apart.

She turned away from her, cheeks flaming, and watched as the ramp lowered completely and Coulson drove Lola into her usual spot.

"Hey, AC." The smile on her face was overly bright, trying to disguise both her response to her SO and her concern for their boss. "Everything okay?"

For a moment, Coulson stared as though he was looking through her, an expression on his face that made her take a step back. Skye felt Ward move to stand behind her, his stance both protective and concerned. In an instant, the moment passed and their boss smiled, the old Coulson back. "Everything's fine, Skye. Isn't it a bit late for training?"

"That's what I tried to tell her, Sir." Ward was so close she could feel his voice rumble in his chest against her back but neither of them moved. "But she insisted so here we are."

Coulson nodded but his expression suggested he didn't quite believe it. "Don't stay up too late," he cautioned them as he headed towards the stairs. "You both need your rest. God knows you've earned it."

They remained where they were until he was out of sight and then Skye turned to face her SO, a question in her eyes.

Ward smiled in answer and returned his attention to securing the wraps around her hands. "Ten minutes, Rookie, then you're going to bed even if I have to carry you there."

"Ooh, Agent Ward, is that a promise?" She teased, feeling lighter than she had for weeks.

"Maybe if you're good," Ward replied without missing a beat, causing a delighted laugh to escape her as he finished wrapping her hands and moved to stand on the other side of the punching bag, holding it steady.

"I quite liked being a badass so being good might be out of the question," Skye laughed, taking up the correct stance on the other side of the punching bag. She jabbed at it quickly, smiling at the expression on his face.

"Sounds like you have quite a story. I'd love to hear it sometime."

"Well… Maybe if you're good."

* * *

The sound of Skye's laughter and Ward's answering chuckle followed him into the main living area of the plane and Coulson felt the knot of tension in his stomach ease just a little.

He was home, he reminded himself. His team had brought him home, just as he'd known they would.

Knowing that, however, didn't make the unease he felt disappear completely and, distracted by his conversation with Doctor Streiten, it took him a few seconds longer than it usually would have to realise that he wasn't alone.

"May?" He wasn't sure what surprised him most; that she was sitting alone at the bar in the lounge and not in her bunk or the cockpit or that she looked on the verge of tears. "Melinda?"

She started at the sound of his voice, hurried wiping at her cheeks as she slid off the stool the stand in front of him. "Did you do what you needed to?" She tried to keep her voice steady but it faltered at the end, cracking under the weight of the emotion she was doing her best to hide.

"I did." He took a step closer to her, concern causing him to frown, which in turn caused the broken skin of his brow to sting. "Are you okay?"

Her smile was forced and she couldn't meet his gaze. "Of course. I'll go and set the coordinates. We might be able to take off early –"

"Melinda." His touch was light, his fingers just grazing the skin of her wrist. "What's wrong?"

He could see the effort she was putting into maintaining her composure but it was to no avail. Another tear slipped from her eye and down her cheek, causing May to roll her eyes at herself and use her free hand to wipe it away angrily. "I'm fine."

"No, you're not." He took another step closer and his grip grew a little firmer. "Did something happen while I was gone?"

"Other than you not being here? No." She lifted her gaze to his and he froze for a second, seeing a glimpse for a moment of the woman she'd once been before she'd earned the nickname of the Cavalry and started shutting out the rest of the world and him with it. "I just – I'm glad you're back."

"Me, too." He didn't let go of her wrist nor did she make an attempt at breaking contact. Coulson wasn't sure how long they stood staring at each other in silence but knew it was the longest they'd been in a room together without disagreeing about something since they'd fallen out over his decision to let Skye stay on the Bus after her indiscretion with her former boyfriend. "Melinda –"

"Do you want to talk about it?" She asked quietly, her dark eyes softer than he remembered seeing in a long time.

'No' was on the tip of his tongue, closely followed by 'there's nothing to talk about' but he swallowed both responses, recognising the offer for what it was. Instead, he gave her a soft smile. "Not yet, but soon. If you're available?"

Understanding the question for what it was, knowing there was no way her relationship with Ward had gone unnoticed, May gave him a small nod in response. "My door is always open."

"I'll remember that." He gave her wrist a light squeeze before reluctantly letting go. They stood in front of each other for a few moments more, breaking eye contact only when they heard the sounds of Skye and Ward coming up the stairs from the cargo bay. "Get some sleep, Melinda. We'll depart as scheduled in the morning."

May nodded again but said nothing, turning gracefully on her heel and walking to her bunk before the younger members of the team reappeared in the lounge. Taking her lead, Coulson headed to his own room, knowing it wouldn't be long before he took her up on her offer.

* * *

_End  
Thank you for reading - thoughts and feedback muchly appreciated as always :)_


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